Refrigeration systems are known, such as the type known as “ultra-low temperature freezers” (“ULTs”), which cool their interior storage spaces to relative low temperatures such as about −80° C. or lower, for example.
Known refrigeration systems of this type include two stages circulating respective first and second refrigerants. The first stage transfers energy (i.e., heat) from the first refrigerant to the surrounding environment through a condenser, while the second refrigerant of the second stage receives energy from the cooled space (e.g., a cabinet interior) through an evaporator. Heat is transferred from the second refrigerant to the first refrigerant through a heat exchanger that is in fluid communication with the two stages of the refrigeration system.
However, management of these refrigeration systems is often cumbersome. For example, inputting settings to a refrigeration system is often performed by a manufacturer or distributor prior to providing that refrigeration system to a customer. Alternatively, some conventional refrigeration systems include a keypad for the user to enter settings, but such entry often introduces errors as the keypads are typically difficult to use. In any event, normal operations of a plurality of refrigeration system can cause unforeseen undesirable outcomes. For example, a plurality of refrigeration systems often recover from a power failure at the same time, typically resulting in a surge of demand that the power system is unable to cope with.
Moreover, it is often difficult to interface with or otherwise track data associated with refrigeration systems. In particular, conventional refrigeration systems are unable to display information about temperatures within the refrigeration systems, or events associated with the refrigeration system, that occur over an extended period of time. This can lead to questions about the operation of conventional refrigeration systems that go unanswered, as there is no data that indicates how those conventional refrigeration systems operated. Moreover, conventional refrigeration systems often fail to display ambient temperatures that are used as baselines and additional information associated with the refrigeration system. Still further, conventional refrigeration systems lack security features that indicate a particular user that interacted with the refrigeration system and at what time.
There is a need, therefore, for refrigeration systems that can have their settings manipulated by a user as well as track and display various operational data over predetermined periods of time.